The Penn's Grove record., 1887-10-22
THE MAD ENGINEER.

"That is a very good story, boys,
and reminds me Of something that hap
pened several years ago, when l was
firing for one of the best men that ever
pulled a THROTTLE" said a veteran en
gineer IN a crowd of railroad employees.
"If l thought it wouldn't tax the pa.
tIence OF you too much, l would tel
you about it-althoueh," he said, after
q moments pause. 81 have never dared
speak of the accident, or incident,
sin, 9 it happened in 1868. l believe"
Lets have it, Uncle Tommy
spoke up the crowd as one man, who
well knew Uncle Tommy's ability al
story telling when the subject involved
r~ailroading.
"To begin WITH" said he, after the
crowd had become quiet and assumed
q listening attitude. lit Is necessary to
tell you about my engineer, in order
that you may the better appreciate my
story, and be less bitter in your denun
citation Of his conduct on the night in
question. for the story | am going to
tell you happened at night.
His name was Wendall-Earl Wen
dali, a very pretty name, you will say,
but 1t was very appropriate, for l will
60 on record as saying that he was the
handsomest man that Old Tom ever
laid eyes on. When l say handsome.
why, that is just what 1 mean exactly,
for he was really and truly handsome,
and what made him still more so In my
eyes, he didn't know it. That is, you
wouldn't think he knew it from his
actions. He was just simply good,
handsome Earl Wendall OF the '53
! had been firing for him about eighteen
months, and had come to love him as a
brother. This same Earl Wendail that
I Am telling you about was n love.
He loved only one girl, and the Lord
only knows how many girls ali along
the line were head over heels in love
with him. During my run with him
never a day passed that some shy mai
den didn't send him flowers, or some
little token OF friendship, as we weIe
passing through. Sometimes they would
come themselves, then again they
would send a messenger. 1t was that
way all along. / have seen Earl's box
full Of flowers. He would accept them
IN every instance slmpl, with a bow and
q faint smile, returning his thanks to
the sender, throw them into his box,
and that was the last of them until
they %withered, then be would RAISE the
box lid anu cast them out, seemingly
unconscious and little caring of the
pang that such action would Cause IN
the hearts of the tair donors had they
known the fate of their flowers.
Earl appreciated all this. l am con.
adent, but as l have SAID, he was in
love, not with the girls at every sta
ton, but with n girl. and he was
determined to keep his heart for hel
and her only. How this action was
appreciated by the favored one you will
know after awhile.
"About fifty miles from Providence
was the supper house for our train. II
was called the Bush Supper House.
Bush was q jelly old German and was
universally liked by the rallroaders and
travellers generally. Besides being
proprietor OF the Bush House he was
the father of as pretty a girl as ever
took q step. Her name was Bessie,
and She was Earl Wendall's idol. !
can't begin to describe her, but she wa:
just the girl, l thought, for Earl Wen
dali. Earl thOugIt the same way aud
had made her promise long ago to share
his fortune with him. All the railroad
men knew of Earl and Bsssie's engage
ment, and speculation was rife as t.
when the wedding was to come off,
Occasionally E ri would come from
the Bush House bringing his flow.
ers. These had a separate place from
the rest, and l have known him to haul
one Ut her bouquets a month, and ther
part with is with a sigh.
"One day Earl said to ne:
sun lie Tom, how do you like Miss
Bush2"
"Mighty well, Earl" I replied
"Miss Bush is what l call a first elias.
little woman"
"Earl was silent for a moment. Their
he SAID:
'l'm glad to hear you say SO. Uncle
Tommy. Well, Bess and l are going
10 get married next Sunday week."
Earl always Called her 'B.ss' fol
short.
''Is that SOP" answered I, feignins
surprise. 81 expected as much, Earl
but | thought it would be too inquIsi
tive to ask you"
81 should have told you." he an
sweTed, ''but l thought it best to keep
it a secret, at least until now. 1 want
you TO be at the wedding. 1t will take
place at her fathers house."
"This conversation took place OF
Wednesday, l believe. When We stop
ped for supper again it was on Friday
1t took US Two days TO make the rounC
trip, as We were on the mixed freight.
and you know they generally take theil
time.
"When we walked into the hote
office Bessie introduced a stranger t.
Earl and myself as a MI. Eubanks
1 did not think anything about it much,
but l noticed a dark scowl came owe
Earl's handsome face.
sit looked as though Bessie wa:
rather attentive to the stranger ani
was less 30 to Earl, but / thought thal
was only natural, as he was a stranger
and Earl an old acquaintance. 1t wa
one of old Bush's hobbies to make every
stranger feel at home while at hi
house. Probably this was more to Qair
custom than anything else, / dom
know. However, Earl ate his supper IL
silence and vas OF again to his engint
before 1 was half through. left tn.
stranger and Bess in the office together
chatting yery pleasantly,